Tide-lndicator



(-No Model.)

- A. A. LOW.

TIDE INDICATOR.

N0. 569,340. Patented Oct; 13, 1896.

a'rnivr rricn ABBOT AUGUSTUS LOW, OF BROOKLYN, NEW? YORK.

TIDE-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 569,340, dated October13, 1896.

Application filed September 18, 1895- Serial No. 562,837, (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ABBOT AUGUSTUS LOW, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTide-Indicators, of which the following is a specification sufficient toenable others skilled in the art to whichthe invention appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention is designed. to afford a simple and effective device forindicating upon and by means of an ordinary clock the relation of highand low tide to the meridian, as well as the exact hour and condition ofthe tide at the time of consultation; and the invention consists in thespecial combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described,whereby a ring adjust-able with relation to the clockdial is made toperform the double function above set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front view of a clockprovided with my tidal ring; and Fig. 2, a top view, partly in section,of the same, the parts being shown in the simplest form and arrangement.

In carrying out my invention it is not essential whether the tide-ring Ais incorporated with the clock B or simply forms an adjunct orattachment thereto, the essential feature being the combination andarrangement with the clock, so as to be adjustable with relation to thedial-thereof, of the tidal ring A, having the semicircular divisions ofcontrasting shade or color, these sections a a" being divided into sixequal parts (1 representing approximately the several hours of the tide.

In the accompanying drawings a plain cylindrical clock-case is shown,over the front of which the tide-ring A fits snugly, while permittin gof the turning of the ring around the clock-case in either direction inorder to adjust it with relation to the clock-dial O.

The distinction between the rising and falling of the tide may beemphasized by making one semicircle a white or light in color, while theother semicircle a is of a darker shade or color.

To set the device for use for twelve hours, one of the maindivision-lines a a is brought into coincidence with the subdivision inthe clock-dial nearest to that corresponding to the time designated bythe local tide-table as the time of high water, after which the hourhandof the clock 0 will not only indicate the hour of the day, but will alsopoint out approximately the hour of the tide. Thus, as shown in Fig. 1,we will suppose that the ring A is set for high tide at half-past one p.m., or nearly so. The position of the lines a a with relation to twelvein. shows at a glance the relation of tide to meridian. It will be seenthat at three oclock the hour-hand 0 will point to about the middle ofthe second subdivision a of one semicular half a of the ring, therebyindicating that it is an hour and onehalf, approximately, since hightide, and so on until it passes the other registering-line (L3, when itwill begin to indicate relatively the lapse of time since low tide.

My tide-indicator affords a simple, cheap, and convenient device adaptedfor use on vessels, in hotels and bathing establishments, and in varioussituations in which it is desirable to indicate visually the relation oftime and tide.

It will be seen that my contrivance or attachment, simple as it is,performs a double function, in that it indicates at a glance therelation of the tide to the meridian, while simultaneously indicatingboth the hour of the day and the hour of the tide.

I am aware that in patent of Ralph, No. 425,08i, a disk is shown asarranged in connection with a clock-dial for the purpose of denoting thearrival and departure of railroad-trains, &c., but in this case the diskmoves with the hour-hand and is read with relation to an arbitrarydesign on the clockdial, whereas in my device the hour-hand is movablewith relation to my tidal ring and indicates thereon the hour of thetide, the tidal ring being set in such relation to the hour-marks on thedial as to indicate approximately the rise and fall of the tide fortwelve hours, or with relation to the meridian, while the hour-handindicates approximately the actual condition of the tide at the time ofobservation, as well as the hour of the day.

I am also aware that in patent to Treat, No. 2 l8,624:, a movingpressure-indicator is shown, made in two contrasting colors, grad uallyblending one into the other from a single radial line of sharp contrast,but this is not the equivalent of my invention. In the first place, theTreat indicator moves continuously under pressure and simply points outthe degrees of pressure on an annular scale, whereas my tidal ring isonly movable for the purpose of setting it with relation to theclocleclial, and the real index, the hourhand of the clock, not onlydesignates the hour of the day, but also the hour or age of the tide.Furthermore, my tidal ring is divided into two equal parts sharplydefined by opposed radial lines in the same plane, whereas the Treatindicator has only one clearly-defined line, which acts as a pointer andnot as a subdivision.

Neither the Treat patent nor the Ralph patent shows the equivalent of mytidal ring divided into two sections representing six hours each, whichtwo divisions are subdivided to representthe six hours; nor thearrangement of a ring so divided and subdivided with relation to aclock-dial that the hour-hand of the clock will not only indicate thehour of the day, but also the hour or age of the tide. Both show movingindicators in cont adistinction to mystation ary ring,whioh is movableonly for the purpose of adjustment, the hour-hand of the clock being thereal. index or indicator, while my tidal ring performs the function ofan auxiliary dial to the clock to show the relation of tide to diurnaltime as well as the actual age of the tide when the clock is consulted.

It will thus be seen that neither of the devices shown in the patentsreferred to is adapted to effect the results sought and attained by myinvention, either alone or combined, without radical change instructure, operation, and function.

hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of a clock and dial, a ring adjustable on the clock withrelation to the dial thereof, said ring being divided into two equalparts, distinguished by contrasting shades or colors, representingapproximately high and low tide, saidtwo equal divisions beingsubdivided into six parts and numbored to represent approximately thehours of the tide, and the hour-hand oi theclock, the, whole arrangedand operating in such manner that the said hour-hand indicatessimultaneously both the hour of the day and the hour of the tide, whilethe position of the ring with relation to the dial indicates therelation of the tide to the meridian, substantially as herein set forth.

ABBOT AUGUSTUS LOW.

Witnesses:

LUDLow llIAHAN, JAMES BARTLETT.

